Varius Corvus
"I've got a bad feelin' about this." —Varius Corvus on just about everything ((OOC Note: The following information is constantly being updated as this page is a work in progress. Most of this information can be acquired though the proper channels, and you may roleplay as doing so without permission. For any questions in speaking of or interacting with this character, please contact the roleplayer: arachnidsgold resident.)) Varius Faroe Corvus was a pureblooded wizard born to the Corvus family, which had been dishonored and stripped of any wealth and influence before his birth. He was abandoned by his mother and raised by his father who constantly moved with the child to avoid problems. They finally settled in a small Muggle town in Ireland, where Varius manifested his magical skill, and was able to attend Hogwarts the following year. His time in school was mostly spent avoiding social interaction, until he accidentally made a few friends. Backstory Pre-birth Ruficollis Corvus and his wife Viola were strong supporters of Voldemort during both Wizarding Wars, providing funding, trafficking of illegal goods, and harboring other supporters. At the end of the second Wizarding War, when many of Voldemort's supporters were captured, the Corvus family was found guilty of numerous crimes, including some of a violent nature. Though the pair's children were spared prison, the family was stripped of all its assets, and the Corvus name was cast in dishonor. Albicollis Corvus was forced to move several times with his then pregnant wife, Cissa. After Varius was born in Holyhead, the family was forced to move several more times, attempting to escape the scorn of their peers, which included occasional attacks on the family and their property. After the third move after Varius's birth, Cissa left her husband and child, easily vanishing though the use of Metamorph abilities. Early Childhood Varius spent the first few years of his life on the move and under the watchful eye of the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry felt that the Corvus family's constant moving was a sign of possible criminal activity, ignoring the fact that every move was preceded by discrimination against the single father and his child. Suspecting that Varius himself may have had an inclination toward dark magic, a case worker was assigned to the child. Often, Varius was taken from his father under threat that any resistance to the therapy sessions, or any reporting of what happened in such sessions, would result in Varius being placed in a foster home. Such sessions were designed to try and force the child to show magical aptitude early, as well as to prove that Varius would have violent tendencies when his magical skills did surface. The tests proved to be unsuccessful on both accounts, resulting only in severe emotional and mental trauma, leaving Varius with claustrophobia and a severe fear of Ministry officials. It was soon after this, that Albicollis left wizarding towns entirely, instead settling in a muggle town, despite being a pureblood wizard. Varius was only eight years old when he was enrolled in a muggle school, where he struggled, and failed, to fit in. He was often bullied, but refused to tell his father, who was usually busy working two jobs to make ends meet. At ten years old, Varius's magic finally surfaced, in the form of a burst of formless force while an older child had been stomping on the young Corvus's head. This occurrence caused other children to view Varius with mild fear in addition to their previous disdain. Varius, rather than allowing this to further oppress him, used such fear to prevent other children from being bullied, often offering himself as a sacrifice instead. His life continued this way until he received a letter from Hogwarts, and he attended the wizarding school instead of public school. Life at Hogwarts Year 1 Nearly sorted into Hufflepuff, but decidedly set in Slytherin, Varius followed in his family's footsteps. The first half of Varius's first year at Hogwarts was spent avoiding social situations with other students, for fear that they would treat him the same as any other child he had met previously. He would often go weeks without speaking, and would hide away food so that he could avoid taking meals with others. His trauma kept him from succeeding in any sort of magic casting, and though he was paired with a loyal wand, he lacked the ability to channel any magic through it. It wasn't until January, that Varius was forced to speak with another student, Persephone Hyland, a third-year student in his house. While she was only teasing him for her own amusement, the event set Varius on the path to becoming more social with other students. When he found a cat that seemed to need help somehow, Persephone assisted Varius with locating and acquiring ingredients for a potion that would allow Varius to speak with the cat. Unfortunately the theft was discovered by Miley Blackwood, another Slytherin, who sought to blackmail Varius into spying on the friends he had recently made in opposing houses. When he refused, Miley and her cousin, Kamilla Bullstrod attacked, leading Varius to be rescued by John Penn. Though John insisted that he only rescued the first year, so that he could begin bullying Varius himself, the two quickly became close friends. Varius even developed romantic feelings for John, despite knowing that the feelings would never be mutual. With help from his new friends, Varius managed to complete the Cat-o-tonic potion, only to find that Grimalkin had lost his ball and wanted it back. Despite being disappointed at such a small issue, Varius tracked down the lost ball and returned it to the cat, who soon lost it once again. After the events with Grimalkin, and the resulting inner-house conflict, Varius attended the Hearty Dance, where he enjoyed time with his date, Aurora Nightly, and their mutual friends, until Judy Dorchester arrived to disrupt the dance and seize control of the school. In an attempt to defend another student from one of Dorchester's lackeys, Varius threw a cup of wasabi, though it did little good. As Dorchester's control over Hogwarts settled in, Varius continued to resist the oppression though small acts of defiance, such as wearing a flower until it was vanished by Professor Grograman, and wearing a skirt, in defiance of uniform enforcement. While the year continued under Dorchester's rule, Varius found that he was suffering strange and seemingly random changes, such as eye color, or hair color, though they would return to normal in a short amount of time. During this time, it was revealed to him that the gender he had always assumed was his own was not, and that he was in fact biologically female. Distressed over this news, Varius feared discovery, however he decided to reveal this secret to his closest friends for their support. His random bodily changes continued, though no more extreme, they became more frequent, distressing the already highly stressed Varius. Eventually, his father withdrew Varius from school to continue the year under the supervision of a private tutor who turned out to be a conman. This would leave Varius under-equipped for the next year academically, however it allowed him to reconcile some issues with his father. Year 2 The young Slytherin spent the summer practicing and maintaining a single form, until he had perfectly assumed his previous default state, with a bit longer hair. However, Varius spent the first month of the school year struggling to catch up, while keeping himself hidden from his friends. His hiding ended when he was accidentally discovered by Persephone, leaving Varius to try and reconnect with his friends instead. However, after confessing feelings for Persephone's cousin, Eric Hyland, and being rejected by the boy, he withdrew and hid herself from all his friends for the rest of the year. Luckily, it was a peaceful year, allowing Varius to focus on himself so he could figure out just who he was. Eventually he realized that no matter the gender he was assigned at birth, he felt more comfortable identifying as a male. Year 3 Though the year started off quietly enough, October was the beginning of frightening events, like years before. When a banshee arrived to 'warn' the school of impending doom, and to cause damage to the school, Varius found that his resolve was unable to hold up. After being literally driven to the ground by the pain of the banshee's screams, he was left stunned both physically and mentally. Luckily Jayden Lukas, a boy Varius had previously thought of as a rival, helped the injured Corvus to the hospital wing and stayed with him until he recovered from his shock. This left Varius with a small crush on his once-rival, however unrequited. The even left Varius with a stronger will to grow as a person than ever before, even willing to cast aside what he was viewing as weaknesses. Personality Appearance Varius looks much like his father, with brown eyes, black hair, and redish-tan skin that shows his greek and inuit heritage. He haven't gained the sharper features of his father, however, as Varius is still fairly round-faced and soft in his childhood. His fluffy hair has a hint of other colors to it when the light hits it correctly, reminiscent of the feathers of a crow or raven, another trait common within his family line. He favors long sleeves, even in warmer weather, however this is due to him using his sleeves combined with an extension charm, as storage. Though he is very self-conscious about his figure, Varius has an athletic, though short, build, and he works at it constantly in an attempt to gain the sculpted abs that the rumours said he has. Quirks and Behaviors Varius fidgets often, causing him to pace, touch his face and hair, and adjust his clothing on a near-constant basis. Though he isn't concerned with personal appearance for the most part, he exercises often, sneaking out just before curfew ends to run laps, do crunches, and to do push-ups on the quidditch field. Varius is imaginative, warm, idealistic, and compassionate, yet still has the sharp cunning and unyielding ambition of the ideal Slytherin. He is usually open-minded and accepting, unless someone is doing something that will bring harm to others. On the other hand, he has very little belief in his own skills and self-worth, often comparing himself to students who are far more experienced. He sees himself as less than others, and therefore unworthy of the friendships he has formed. Ultimately, he wants to change the way the Ministry treats children in general, though he doesn't yet know how he will do that. Otherwise, he has an affinity for animals and magical creatures, in particular those of an avian variety, however after using the Cat'o'tonic, he has a greater understanding of cats as well. Psychological Trauma Varius exhibits many of the signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, as he is easily upset when asked to use magic, sometimes suffering from anxiety attacks over such requests. This has lessened slightly with time and experience, but remains a weak point. Being reminded of past bullying also causes him to withdraw, even cry, reinforcing his view of himself as a weak individual. He refuses to enter any space that he cannot pace easily in, and even refuses to close the door of toilet and shower stalls if he is inside. He has frequent self-destructive thoughts, leading them to sometimes make choices that are harmful to himself, especially if it would benefit another person. He sleeps often, however he rarely sleeps very deeply, surviving on frequent naps, rather than deep nighttime sleep. If confronted, he denies any issues, insisting that he is perfectly capable of coping with his own anxiety, despite evidence to the contrary. There is also a good chance that he has sleep apnea, however due to coinciding nightmares, he assumes it to be a result of past trauma and refuses to speak to anyone about it. Aside from more obvious trauma, he often develops a crush on anyone close enough to his age that is kind to him. Persephone has been the only real exception to this, as he thinks of her as an older sister. Possessions Wand The first confirmation that Varius's first show of magic wasn't just a fluke; Varius's wand reacted to him the moment he step foot into the wand shop. The vine wood wand caused the lid of its box to fly off in a puff of raven feathers, ensuring that it was clear that it was meant for Varius. Its core is unicorn hair, and it is, like many others of its core type, loyal to a fault. Though it is quite loyal, it seems that Varius's inability to trust in himself often causes the wand to either misfire, or not work at all. He keeps the hilt of his wand wrapped with a near-black leather strip, taken from one of his father's coats. However, in a true emergency, his wand has never failed, showing that it is in perfect condition and that Varius only needs the confidence to use it. Owl Varius was forced to keep an owl when his raven was lost, in order to send mail. His close friend, John captured a sooty owl with a poor temperament, though Coal turned out to be very loyal to Varius anyhow. Coal tends to scratch and bite anyone other than Varius himself, as well as destroying property if left unsupervised and even Varius has difficulty in preventing the owl from being poorly behaved. Though the owl was found in John's attic, she seems to have been trained as a post delivery owl, though by who is unknown. Raven (deceased) Corvus family tradition continued with Varius, when he received a raven chick on his seventh birthday, whom he would bond with and raise with help from his father. The raven, named Thantos, seemed to be able to speak as well as the average parrot, and was protective over Varius, whom he viewed as part of his own unkindness flock. However, Thantos was lost when intercepted by one of the goons that had prowled the school in Varius's first year. Varius reluctantly learned to accept the fact that the raven will never be returning, no matter how much he wishes otherwise. He vows to raise a new raven in the eventual future, but for now relies on Coal instead. Undershirt Varius inherited a long-sleeve undershirt which has had an extension charm put on the sleeves. This causes him to almost always wear long sleeves so he can have easy access to a large inventory of items at all times. He keeps his books, parchment, quills, and other supplies along with snacks, water, and anything else he may need later. * A ballpoint pen greatly stained with ink and often employed as a quill, due to the fact that Varius doesn't understand how pens work for the most part. It was gifted to him by John. * Several spiral-bound notebooks each filled with complex notes in the form of shorthand and sketches. They are mostly just class notes, however. * Stone enchanted to act as a cold pack, he has this enchantment renewed daily by the house elves in order to keep any food he stores fresh. Rumours * Some Slytherin boys saw Varius Corvus shirtless in the showers. They’ve been all abuzz trying to figure out how the tiny first year managed to achieve rippling abs like that. * A pair of feral bright green shoes was spotted defending a first year from a vicious Erkling at the edge of the forest. One was said to be wearing a cape, and the firstie has now colovaria’ed all their shoes bright green in homage. Do we have a new protector in our halls? * Slytherin first year, Varius Corvus, seems to be distressed about his ever changing hair color. Maybe he can't decide on a color? * It seemed that a first year Slytherin may have wet herself during class. Though most think it was just the result of a water attack from some lamps. * A pair of green ragged socks were found in the dungeons stuffed with chewed-up pet treats. Category:Students Category:Slytherins